QUINN
“Talk to me.” I take Kyla’s hand as I sit across from her on my bed, staring into her dark brown eyes.
“I… I’m still just in shock, I think,” she mutters, wriggling her hand free from mine. She brings it up to pinch the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, pressing her eyes tightly closed. “I feel like such a fucking idiot.”
“Don’t,” I say, shaking my head adamantly. “This is on him, Ky.”
When Kyla’s eyes blink open again, they’re shiny with tears. “I just don’t get it. I thought we were happy…” her voice breaks and she draws a deep breath.
This sucks. I slept like shit beside Kyla last night with the knowledge that when morning came, I’d have to break her heart. As much as I didn’t want to be the one to deliver the news, it was the right thing to
JAX I swear I’m not stalking Quinn- the universe just seems to keep throwing us together. I’m walking through the parking lot at the complex when I hear an engine cranking, sputtering over and over and failing to start. I can’t help but look that way as I pass by, only to see Quinn sitting in the drivers’ seat of the vehicle, yelling some expletives that I can’t quite make out and slapping the steering wheel with her palms in frustration. I don’t know dick about cars, but what kind of guy would I be if I didn’t at least offer to help her out? At least that’s how I rationalize my decision to approach the one girl I really should be staying away from, leaning down beside the drivers’ side window to peer in at her. “Need some help?” I ask through the closed window, and Quinn’s head snaps sideways to look at me like I’ve startled her. She relaxes a little once she sees it’s me, and I take a step back as she reaches
QUINNI’m not sure what’s worse- Jax embarrassing the crap outta me while I was topless with my hand down his pants, or the fact that I can’t even vent to my girlfriends about it. My first reflex was to go to Kyla, but she’s got a lot going on right now; it doesn’t feel right to unload on her about a hookup story. Because that’s all it was- a quick, sleazy hookup in the front seat of Jax’s truck. This isn’t a love story. Hell, at this moment, it isn’t even a ‘like’ story.Confiding in Brooke is out of the question for obvious reasons, and I don’t know some of these other squad girls well enough yet to know if I can trust them with my secrets. So I’m left alone with my thoughts, muddling through training on Monday morning while avoiding so much as a glance in Jax’s direction. I’m still pissed at him, and little does he know I’m a champi
JAX“What’s got you smiling like that?” Theo asks, elbowing me in the ribs from his seat beside me at our usual table in the dining hall.Your sister, dude. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I chuckle.“Aw c’mon, what is it?” Theo presses.Probably the fact that I was just making out with your sister.“It’s nothing,” I insist.I try to go back to my lunch, but the guy won’t let it go. He narrows his eyes, studying me. “Did you finally find your mystery girl or something?”Yep. Turns out it’s your smokin’ hot sister.“Nah, that’s a lost cause,” I lie.Reid flicks a suspicious glance in my direction from across the table as he swallows the bite he just took of his sandwich. “Oh yeah? You sure?” he asks, ar
QUINN The forest is eerily quiet tonight as I slink around under the light of the moon, chasing the scents of other animals and relishing in the freedom that comes with shifting to my wolf form. I’ve always had excellent control over my animal side- I integrated quickly when she manifested years ago, probably because I’ve always embraced my wilder characteristics, my baser urges and desires. From my first shift, I’ve delighted in the liberation that comes with it. When my wolf came in, that’s when I really came alive. I love being a shifter. I love the tingling feeling on my skin when I shift, the way the air shimmers around me like liquid metal. I love the feeling of the earth under my paws as I run- and I fucking love how much faster I can run on four legs, how much more agile I can be. I’ve heard some other shifters say they resent their animal side, but you’ll never hear me say that. I’m completely in tune with my
JAXWhen I wake on Thursday morning, it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight streaming into the room. It’s bright- a little too bright, I realize as I try to roll over. I quickly discover that I can’t because my arm is trapped beneath a sleeping Quinn beside me, and as my mind starts to wake up, it registers that this isn’t my room; I’m not in my bed. I must’ve fallen asleep here last night, and if the brightness of the sunlight is any indication, we’ve both overslept.Quinn and I haven’t been able to stay away from one another for the past few days; it’s like now that we’ve given in, we’re both insatiable. Monday’s little romp in the forest only left me wanting more, and Tuesday night we went for a drive, parked, and did it in the back seat of my truck. I didn’t think I’d see Quinn last night- she said she was going to be hanging
QUINN“You and me?” Kyla asks as she turns to me, gesturing between us.“Sure,” I breathe, scooping my long hair into a ponytail and securing it with a hair tie.I made it to the practice field for training this morning without a moment to spare, still a little rattled after almost being caught with Jax in my room. He hasn’t even made it out here yet- perks of being one of the guys running the place, I guess. I, on the other hand, am still catching my breath while Fallon demonstrates the defensive maneuvers we’ll be working on today. She’s running today’s practice, and she’s brought two of her friends to help out- a couple of guys from Summervale that went to high school with us.Other than her twin, Davis and Boyd were Fallon’s closest friends in high school. The three of them went out for the squad together after graduation and they all made the cut after
JAX‘We need to talk’When strung together, I’m pretty sure those are the four most unsettling words in the English language.After I got Quinn’s text earlier, I re-read it over and over, trying to decipher her meaning. Then I racked my brain trying to figure out if I went wrong with her somewhere since waking up in her bed today. I mean it all started out good, right? I definitely wasn’t the only one enjoying the sex this morning when we were so rudely interrupted. At least I got her off before Brooke came knocking- I, on the other hand, was stuck with blue balls.She seemed fine when I checked in on her during training this morning, too. A little jumpier than normal after our close call, but I didn’t miss the seductive sway of her hips or her flirty little glances. Or the way she was staring at my mouth like she wanted a taste. Everything seemed good between us…
QUINN “How’s it going over here?” Brooke asks as she wheels her desk chair over to me. Our desks are both in the back of the IT hub, right across the aisle from one another. It would be pretty awesome, except Theo is a permanent fixture in the hub these days and my desk gives me a front row seat to his and Brooke’s constant PDA. “Good…” I murmur, the keyboard clicking under my fingers as Brooke moves in beside me and peers at my monitor. “Any luck getting in yet?” I nod, drawing my lower lip between my teeth. “Oh yeah. I’m just copying the files now.” I type in the last few functions, hit enter, and push back from my desk, folding my arms and grinning in satisfaction. “Done.” Brooke watches my computer screen, a smile creeping across her face. “You’re a genius, you know that?” I shrug, though I enjoy the compliment. “I’m so glad you decided to come up here and join us. Put your hacker sk